The number of people in Finland finding themselves in debt enforcement proceedings has risen, according to the National Enforcement Authority.
It reported that there were approximately four percent more people in enforcement proceedings at the end of September than at the same time last year.
The authority estimated that the total number of debtors in enforcement proceedings could exceed 600,000 this year.
More than 90 percent of those in debt proceedings are private individuals, while the remainder includes companies and organisations, the authority said.
However, just under 40 percent of the debtors owe relatively small amounts — owing less than 1,000 euros.
The authority also noted that enforcement proceedings this year have seen a significant amount of property being put up for sale. It said the number of cases in which asset sales were initiated is up 12 percent compared to last year.
